| Poetry Chanel N˚5 Poet: Sloane Burke - We dreamed of a beautiful place, far far away
- With snow capped mountains & fragrant air –
- Maybe Tibet.
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- It is 1979, I am 9 – we laugh and make
- fake snow. For the fragrant Tibetan mountains
- we sprayed Chanel N˚5 around
- the living room floor – playing and laughing –
- we were free – far away from the
- stress – we were real kids for once
-
- Slam – here you are.
- “Is that Chanel N˚5 I smell!”
- “My Chanel N˚5?!”
- You are mad – I am scared. SLAM!
- You are in your room. I am not safe.
- You may ignore me for a week again – no dinner, no food.
-
- The pain as you pulled me by my hair
- From the comfort of my own bed –
- All the way to the kitchen.
- It wasn’t enough for me to wash the dishes at 2:00 AM.
- I am cold as cold water is thrown all over my body.
- My head hurts – I am missing hair.
- My body caves from the impact of the broom stick as it blows into my legs,
- arms and back. “How dare you?” she says.
- I cry. I am sorry.
- How dare I – over Chanel N˚5.
-
- As I cry myself to sleep it is daybreak… I dream,
- dream of a place…a far away place…maybe Tibet.
2003 Sloane Burke [back to literary arts] |
